‘Safety first’ with style a close second at the Orvis fair

MILLBROOK — The Orvis Game Fair and Sporting Weekend at the company’s property in Millbrook, called Sandanona, is always a favorite with sportsmen and sportswomen in this part of the world.

The 2019 fair, held Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 21 and 22, didn’t disappoint. Both were picture-perfect summer days and provided visitors and vendors alike with ideal conditions. 

The marketplace of clothing and gear for outdoor enthusiasts  (and chic city folk) is always a big part of the draw. This year there were  70 vendors  including top-of-the line brands such as Braeval, Barbour and Dubarry of Ireland.  

It wasn’t all apparel though. There were companies there offering tempting vacations and sporting getaways, to dream locations such as Brays Island Plantation and venerable Kinloch House. Distilleries and farmers helped satisfy any pangs of thirst or hunger.

There were 11 event sponsors and two days full of activities.Tom Cullen’s Birds of Prey demonstration is always fascinating and a big draw.  His handlers circulate the crowd with falcons, hawks and owls, bringing them for a very up-close and personal meeting. 

Cullen and his team of handlers share a wealth of knowledge about these birds, their habits and their individual quirks. Cullen recounted a National Geographic project that clocked  a falcon in a dive at more than 220 mph.

Not quite as fast, but equally entertaining, is the Mossy Pond Retriever demonstration. The dogs respond instantly and obediently to every hand or whistle command, even stopping dead in their tracks in mid retrieve. They seemed to be enjoying the demo as much as (or maybe even more than!) the spectators.

Sandanona is the oldest permitted shotgun shooting club in the U.S. and is a year-round destination for wing and clay shooters alike. Reports of those activities can be heard all day long during the Sporting Weekend. The Orvis Cup, a serious 100 target competition, was held on Sunday, but side games such as 5 Stand, Flurry and Long Bird were enjoyed all weekend long. 

First-time wing and clay shooters took part in the “Take your first shot” demonstrations. Under the expert guidance of Orvis instuctors, with emphasis on safety first, the novices had the thrill of seeing that clay pigeon disappear in a cloud of orange dust.